About the Cost of Living Commission

The Commission's mandate, how the tracker works, and the rules it publishes under.

Mandate

The Cost of Living Commission operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Its role is to keep the cost of essential goods in clear public view and to support Government's measures to ease the cost of living.

This tracker publishes the lowest price reported to the Commission for each item on the essential goods list, together with the name of the retailer offering it, its pack or unit size, and the date the price was last updated.

How the tracker works

1 · Retailer submissions

Registered retailers file a structured price file on the Commission's reporting template.

2 · Commission database

Submissions are recorded in the commodity master and retailer register, with a full audit log.

3 · Publication

A read-only feed publishes the lowest reported price per essential item, with the retailer named.

4 · This website

Public access on the Commission's website, designed mobile first and written in plain language.

Participating retailers

The following retailers report prices to the Commission:

The MarketPlace Lindo's Market Lindo's Family Foods Arnold's Supermarket Supermart Miles Market White's Supermarket Harrington Hundreds

Registered undertakings submit prices on the Commission's reporting template. Enquiries about reporting should be directed to the secretariat.

Publication rules

Published

  • Essential and regulated goods only
  • The lowest reported price per item, with the retailer named
  • A monthly price trend per item

Not published

  • Side-by-side store tables or rankings
  • Items outside the essential goods list
  • Anonymous or unattributed prices

Legal basis

Price data is collected and used only for the Commission's functions under sections 10A to 10E of the Commission's legislation.

Privacy

This website does not ask for or collect personal information. Data is handled in line with the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). A full data-use and retention note will accompany the launch.

Disclaimer

Prices on this site reflect retailer submissions to the Commission for the stated period and are indicative. The lowest reported price is published for each essential item; shelf prices may change between submissions. Always check in store.

Contact

Cost of Living Commission · Ministry of Home Affairs
Government Administration Building, Hamilton
secretariat@ (placeholder for launch)